Fire preventive system



Oct. 6, 1942.

L. M. LEWIS FIRE PREVENTIVE SYSTEM Filed Aug. 20, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet l fit y INVENTOR. Leno) 45/105,

nrroe/vex Oct. 6, 1942. M.'LEWI$ FIRE PREVENTIVE SYSTEM 2 Sheets-Shee t 2 iled Aug; 20, 1940- Patented Oct. 6, 1942 UNHTE ST TES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to fire protective systems such as are commonly employed for the purpose of protecting various buildings, such as factories, Warehouses and airplane hangars from fire hazards.

Fire protective systems have, for a long time, been meeting with widespread use and approval by the public. Such systems might be generally characterized as including a fire extinguishing water conduit system which includes a plurality of spray heads that are spaced apart and appropriately located so that when they are opened they will sprinkle water over required areas. Heretofore it has been the practice to have each spray head controlled by some form of fusible unit so that when the temperature at the particular spray head reached a certain predetermined point, the unit will collapse and cause the water to emerge from the spray head to put out the fire.

While a system of the general type above-outlined will function in the manner intended in buildings which are heated, it is evident that if installed in buildings that are not heated there is grave danger of the water conduit freezing in the cold seasons, thus rendering the system useless. This fact has been appreciated and socalled dry pipe systems have been installed. In these dry pipe systems the fire extinguishing water conduit system is maintained dry and free from water. This water conduit system is connected to a source of water under pressure by a valve. Heretofore it has been the practice to maintain this valve closed by air pressure in the valve and water conduit system. When the air pressure is released the valve will open and water will flow into the water conduit system and out thespray heads to extinguish the fire after exhaustion of the entrapped air.

The present invention deals with very important improvements in this so-called dry pipe type of fire protective system.

At the present time there is available to the public a thermostat known as a rate of rise and/or fixed temperature thermostat. Such a thermostat is shown in United States Patent No. 2,113,296, and may be briefly described by noting that it serves to complete an electrical circuit either when a certain predetermined temperature has been reached, or when there is a certain rate of rise of temperature at some range beneath the fixed temperature.

The present invention contemplates the incorporation of such a thermostat into a fire protective system with certain advantageous results.

The present invention has as an object the provision of a fire protective system which includes a source of water under pressure, a fire extinguishing Water conduit system that is normally maintained dry, and which water conduit system includes a plurality of spray heads that are kept open. A valve is interposed between a source of water supply and the fire extinguishing water conduit system. This valve is of a. type which is known as a deluge or torrent valve, such as shown in Patents Nos. 1,569,326 and 1,765,840, with certain hereinafter to be outlined changes therein. Heat responsive elements, such as thermostats of Patent No. 2,113,296, are suitably located in the areas to be connected and appropriate connections between these thermostats and the control means for the valve are provided.

An important object of the invention lies in the provision of novel and highly improved means for controlling the said valve. Heretofore valves of this type have been maintained closed against the pressure of the water by air pressure. An important object of this invention is to provide a valve of this type which is kept closed by the pressure of the water itself. In carryingout this idea, water is by-passed from the source of supply to a chamber in the valve and which chamber provides a larger effective area than is present on the valve member shutting off the source of supply. Thus the valve member is maintained closed so long as the Water is kept in this chamber at the required pressure, or that of the water supply. 7

A further object of the invention is to provide, in a system of the character above-noted, a deluge valve of the type aforesaid, which includes an auxiliary control valve that controls communication between the pressure chamber of the valve and the dry pipe line. This auxiliary valve includes, as an essential and characteristic feature, a fusible unit such as is now well-known in this art. When this fusible unit is heated, it collapses and causes water pressure in the chain ber to open the valve, whereupon the water flows from the pressure chamber to the dry pipe line,- thus relieving pressure in the pressure chamber to cause the deluge valve to open.

A further object of the invention is the pro vision .of a fire protective system of the character above-noted in which electrical resistance means is associated with the fusible unit of the auxiliary control valve, and this electrical resistance means is connected to the thermostatic devices. Thus, when a condition arises at any-of the thermostatic devices which causes the latter to complete the circuit, the current will flow through the resistance means at the fusible unit of the auxiliary valve, thereby heating the same and causing it to collapse. The auxiliary valve opens, relieving pressure in the pressure chamber, thereby opening the deluge valve to cause water to flow from the source of supply into the dry pipe system and out the spray heads.

Various other more detailed objects and advantages of the invention such as arise in connection with the attainment of the above-noted objects will in part become apparent and in part be hereinafter stated as the description of the invention proceeds.

The invention, therefore, comprises a fire protective system consisting of a source of supply of water under pressure, and a dry pipe water conduit system including spray heads, with a deluge valve interposed between the two. Thermostats are located in the area to be protected and are connected to the control means for the deluge valve. An important part of the invention is the improvements in the deluge valve.

For a full and more complete understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a view, largely diagrammatic, of a fire protective system designed in accordance with the precepts of this invention,

Figure 2 is an enlarged detail section through an auxiliary control valve,

Figure 3 is a section through a deluge valve, and

Figure 4 is an elevational showing of the deluge valve per se.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference characters denote corresponding parts, and first, more particularly to Figure 1, a source of supply of water under pressure is represented by a water main ID. This main I is provided withappropriate means for effecting a connection with a deluge valve, such means preferably taking the form of a flange The improved deluge valve of this invention is referred to in its entirety by the reference character V and is shown as including a flange |2 which is bolted to the flange II, the flange I2 being located at the inlet l3 of the valve V. The valve V also includes an outlet at l4 that is joined by a bolted flange connection shown at I5 to a dry pipe conduit system designated I6, the latter including a plurality of spray heads represented at IT. It is evident that these spray heads I! will be appropriately located over the areas to be protected.

A plurality of thermostatic devices preferably of the type depicted in United States Patent No. 2,113,296 are represented diagrammatically at l8, and these are included in the electrical circuit defined by conductors l9 and 20.

Referring now more particularly to Figures 3 and 4, the valve V is shown as including a main body 2| into which leads the inlet I3. A valve seat is shown at 22 and preferably takes the form of a ring which is screwed into the inlet l3 until it abuts a flange 23. The seat 22 is normally closed by a valve member 24 that is pivotally mounted, as shown at 25, on lugs that are carried by the body 2|.

The body 2| also includes a valve seat 26 which, together with flange structure at 21, and the body 2|, defines a pressure chamber 28, this pressure chamber 28 being separately identified when a valve closure 29 is positioned on the seat 26. This member 29 is pivotally mounted at 30 on lugs carried by the body 2|. A link 3| is pivotally connected at 32 to the member 29 and at 33 to the valve member 24. A by-pass 34 establishes communication between the inlet l3 and the chamber 28 so that water under pressure from the source of supply goes through the bypass 34 into the pressure chamber 28 where it is effective against the member 29.

At this point it is well to note that the member 29 has an area greatly in excess of the underface of the valve member 24. Thus, when water in the inlet l3 and pressure chamber 28 is under the same pressure, the greater area of the member 29 will cause the valve member 24 to remain closed against the pressure of the water in the inlet 3.

The valve body 2| may include a removable cap 35 that is maintained closed. This cap may be removed for purposes of adjusting or seating the mechanisms in the body 2|. The body 2| about the pressure chamber 28 is formed with a threaded opening at 36 in which is fitted an auxiliary control valve referred to in its entirety by the reference character A. A by-pass pipe 31, considerably larger than by-pass 34, establishes communication between the auxiliary control valve A and the outlet I4.

Referring now more particularly to Figure 2, the auxiliary control valve A is shown as comprising a body 38 carrying a web 39 that defines a valve seat at 49. The web 39 is formed with an opening at 4| immediately beneath the seat 40 which opens directly to the part 42 which is screwed onto a coupling member in the opening 36. The body member 38 is formed with an outlet at 43 which is connected to the by-pass 31. A valve stem 44 carries a valve member 45 which is normally seated on the seat 40. This stem 44 is maintained in the downward position in which the valve member 45 is seated on the seat 40 by a unit referred to in its entirety by the reference character U, there being a yoke 46 carried by the body 38 which provides proper backing for the unit U,

Fusible units such as that represented at U are well-known in this art. Two examples of such units are shown in Patents Nos. 2,125,510 and 2,129,012. In each instance a fusible unit will include, as a controlling element, an alloy which will fuse at a predetermined temperature. In the illustrated embodiment, this alloy serves to join plates 41 and 48, these plates serving to prevent arms 49 and 50 from spreading. A carbon strip 5| is placed against one of the plates 41 or 48, as illustrated, and one end of this carbon strip is connected to the conductor I9 with the other end connected to the conductor 20. When current passes through the conductors l9 and 2D and thus through the carbon strip 5|, the latter is heated to cause the alloy to melt, thus destroying the connection between the plates 41 and 48. The arms 49 and 50 may now spread and, under the influence of the pressure of water coming from the opening 46, the valve member 45 will raise from the seat 40, thereby permitting water to flow from the pressure chamber 28 over to the outlet I4.

It is evident that when pressure of water in the chamber 28 is released, the pressure of the water from the main ID will open the valve member 24, thus establishing an instantaneous rush of water from the main 0 to the dry pipe conduit 6 and open heads Operation may be outlined by noting that when any of the thermostats I8 is excited, it closes the circuit through the conductors I9 and 20 and heats the fusible unit U. As the latter collapses, the valve member 45 becomes unseated and water passes from the pressure chamber 28 over to the dry pipe line and relieves pressure in the chamber 28. Pressure from the source of supply opens the valve member 24 and establishes instantaneous and unimpeded flow from the water main ID to the dry pipe conduit I6 and opens spray heads I! to extinguish and prevent spread of fire.

While a preferred specific embodiment of the invention is hereinbefore set forth, it is to be clearly understood that the invention is not to be limited to the exact constructions illustrated and described, because various modifications of these details may be provided in putting the invention into practice, within the purview of the appended claim.

I claim:

A fire protective system of the character described comprising a dry pipe water conduit system including open spray heads, a supply of water under pressure, a valve interposed between and connecting said dry pipe system and said water supply, means controlling said valve including fusible holding means, a thermostat disposed in the area to be protected from fire, and electrical operating connections between said thermostat and said valve control means for fusing said fusible holding means when a rise in temperature actuates said thermostat.

LEROY M. LEWIS. 

